2022 National Football Conference Preview

As I continue to look forward to the 2022 NFL season, I came to a realization when I mapped out the current state of the NFC: the depth is decreasing. The National Football Conference doesn't appear to be as deep as it used to be, with only three teams appearing to look like strong Super Bowl threats, while the other 13 are just, well...there. Even so, as an NFC guy, I am quite fascinated about the possibilities for this conference, and the divisions involved.

You know, so many people seem to be predicting a changing of the guard in the NFC East. More and more people seem to be predicting that the Philadelphia Eagles will take the East this year. Granted, the Dallas Cowboys lost a few key players, and still have the same bumbling coach back at the helm for Year Three, but still, I would think Dallas would still somehow end up on top, right? Maybe I'm wrong. After all, the Eagles did reach the playoffs last year, and it's only normal for an upstart playoff team to improve a year later. Maybe Philly will finish on top in the East.

We do know who won't be near a playoff spot: the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders. Washington has a new name, but even so, the Commanders have so many other problems, with a new one coming in the form of their new quarterback: Carson Wentz. As for the Giants, well...all I can say about them is that they should be happy they're not the Jets. That's about the only positive they have going for them right now. Well, that and Joe Judge isn't their head coach anymore.

Another year, another season of the Green Bay Packers making the entire populations of Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit cry. However, the question remains the same: what happens after Aaron Rodgers burns those three cities down to the ground as he does every year? As a Packers fan, I am curious about how this team will fare in 2022. After all, 2021 saw Green Bay atop the NFC again, but the ending was so disappointing. However, even with that bad ending, my optimism remains intact. Why? Because the very thing I had been pleading for with every fiber of my Green and Gold heart and being happened last season: the Packers defense is solid, and I think 2021 won't be isolated in that regard.

As for the Packers' servants, I mean rivals, well...it doesn't look good for any of them. I would think that if any of the three have a remote shot at a playoff spot, it would be the Minnesota Vikings. Though I have read predictions actually placing the Detroit Lions in second place in the North, and as faulty as the Vikings and Chicago Bears are, that is possible. As for the Bears, well, they're screwed. At least Justin Fields is their quarterback, so...yeah.

What I just said about Rodgers and the NFC North can also apply to Tom Brady and the NFC South, and yes, that means he's finally going to beat the New Orleans Saints in the regular season. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do look like they are locks to win the South, there's just one little problem: Brady's security blanket is gone. The Bucs will still win the South, but don't look for them to get far in the playoffs, because we all know that Brady can't do things on his own.

Regarding the rest of the division, the New Orleans Saints nearly made the playoffs last season, and they added Jarvis Landry in the offseason, so we will see what difference he makes for them. The Carolina Panthers have a new quarterback in the form of Baker Mayfield, and the Atlanta Falcons are officially starting over, as they will enter their first season without Matt Ryan as their passer.

The Los Angeles Rams are the defending Super Bowl Champions, and their chances of repeating appear to be good. The only problem came in the form of Odell Beckham Jr. being injured, but from the looks of it, they'll rise above that. After all, they do have some guy named Cooper Kupp, and all he did was become Super Bowl MVP and have a career year at receiver. No big deal. The Rams should be the top dogs in the NFC West, which has some wild developments entering 2022.

Both the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks lost their quarterbacks, but at least the Seahawks simply lost Russell Wilson. The Niners are actually benching Jimmy Garoppolo, and I'll be honest, as a Packers fan, I am laughing my ass off! There's only one QB in the entire league who knows how to beat Aaron Rodgers, and the Niners are sitting him in favor of Trey Lance. If Bobby "The Brain" Heenan were alive today, he'd definitely call Lance a "ham and egger." The Niners will regret this, and that leaves the Arizona Cardinals, who should be apologizing to Kyler Murray for even attempting to force him to watch game film for four hours a day and acting like he doesn't know the game. Even so, the Cards should be fine, but they really need to learn how to finish. Going from 7-0 to 11-6 and a Wild Card? Not good.

The NFC is a bit easier to predict. The Packers, Buccaneers, and Rams should win their respective divisions, while the East will be between the Cowboys and Eagles. I would think that whoever finishes as the runner up would get one of the wild cards, and the other two will go to the Cardinals and either the Vikings or Saints. Even so, this should be a fun campaign for the National Football Conference.

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